Annoyed with the state of US healthcare

Now that I'm pregnant, I'm really determined more than ever to birth at home. It's something I'm passionate about, and I really feel strongly that normal, low-risk women should birth in less medicalized locales where they will not be subject to routine interventions that are detrimental to their health and the health of their baby (think continuous fetal monitoring, epidurals, pitocin). I've read a lot about how our system of childbirth is far less superior than those in Europe and other Western countries, and our maternal mortality and infant mortality are much higher they should be. The higher rate has been empirically attributed to the routine use of pitocin, elective cesareans, and the lack of support to laboring mothers. When women are tethered to a bed because of an EFM they are not free to move around and thus their labor will slow down. Labor is an active, dynamic process and a woman's body KNOWS what to do, yet we rely solely on the doctor's orders which are often not consistent with research but rather with fear of litigation. So I REALLY WANT TO HAVE A HOMEBIRTH! But alas, it appears that may be out of reach. You see. Our insurance won't cover CPMs (certified professional midwife)and CNM (certified nurse midwives) are prohibited from attending homebirths in Utah per their licensing. If I want a homebirth, I have to pay out of pocket. Ok, so paying out of pocket would be comparable to paying the 20% after insurance of a hospital birth. Another problem: my insurance won't cover maternity care unless you had continuous coverage from the time of conception. We did not. Insurance coverage started January 6th. Conception was December 24th-ish, so I'm thinking that I won't be covered. So we are considering using Medicaid which would obviously put our costs considerably lower than paying for the homebirth. Medicaid also will not cover CPMs or homebirth. But, I have ethical qualms about using Medicaid. Namely that maybe it wasn't meant for college students who accidentally got pregnant but rather for actual poor people (which I guess we can be considered... because we are). But, we will still probably go on it in case we have a preemie or something like my sister had, as to avoid $20,000 in medical bills that insurance won't cover (if our insurance will even cover my maternity care). Can you lie about date of conception? I can just say my last period was mid-December. That would put conception in January. Is THAT ethical??

Maybe I'll just get prenatal care from a CNM then just have an unassisted homebirth. I've watched videos. I could probably do it. Or maybe we can fundraise for a homebirth. Or maybe I will just capitulate and go to a hospital where I don't want to be. Maybe I'll labor at home and just go to the hospital to push it out. There are some nice hospitals around. Orem Community has nurse-midwives and American Fork does waterbirths. It's looking tempting...


And this whole conundrum is related to the much bigger problem: why can't women just trust their bodies? Another bigger problem to address at a later time: patriarchy.